I Get The Same Old Feelin’, Every Time You’re Here

The Dark Overlord and his Minion
Planning World Domination (with unseen observer).
Camp David

April, 4, 2007

Ooops! After an extended, inexcusable, lapse of anti-posting, I tried to get some new writing and music up here. Instead, I seem to have deleted the post about Marcel and his Secret Ops Weekend.

As soon as I can remember half of what I wrote here 15 days ago, and post it back up, I'll be back. I'm hoping later this evening.

But there's still the music! Ahhhh, Barry White!

Love, Mushi

•••

You're The First, The Last, My Everything
Never, Never Gonna Give You Up
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love
(Buy: Barry White: Just For You)

This Memory Will Not Fade Away

Joe, Nick, Fritz, Casey, Mark, Brad, Charlie, Mushi, and Ozzie
Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey
September 3, 1977
Photograph taken by Kevin at NewJerseyRock.

Well,actually, that's not true at all. This memory fades away quite often. But, when G started digging through some boxes of old pictures yesterday, this is what I remembered ... (fade out)

At Summer's End, my friends and I (and some 150,000 other stragglers) gathered in a field in New Jersey to see The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Marshall Tucker Band, and the Grateful Dead. They played the following set:

Promised Land
They Love Each Other
Me & My Uncle
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
Looks Like Rain
Peggy-O
New Minglewood Blues
Friend Of The Devil
The Music Never Stopped
Bertha
Good Lovin'
Loser
Estimated Prophet
Eyes Of The World
Samson And Delilah
He's Gone
Not Fade Away
Truckin'
Terrapin Station

Which I remember nothing of, except — while looking for a song to add here tonight, and listening to a number of shows from 1977 (and the original live recording of the show here) — I got goosebumps. That means, (a) that something inside of me still remembers that time, and the feeling of seeing that band live at such a rich period in their careers, or, more likely, (b) somebody just walked over my grave. (I can never get that one straight.)

•••

He's Gone
(Buy: Grateful Dead: Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ, 9/3/77 LIVE/Original Recording Remastered)

(This song is actually from a November 5, 1977 show at Community War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, NY, via Internet Archive. But you can buy the September 3, 1977, Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ show here.)

Added BONUS:
Here's what my ticket looked like. (I've come across mine, once or twice, in the dozen or so moves up and down the East Coast, but I'd be hard pressed to find it. No, my friends, that's work for a peoples much more anal-retentive (and organized) then me. Like these folks! Maybe there's a ticket you've been looking for?)

(No, effin' shite! Did I actually just travel 30 years — from Daft Punk to Grateful Dead — in one day? I'm fading out ...)

In The Future (Pretty Much Everything I Do Has The Potential To Be This Time-Wasting)

Daft Punk
Is Playing At My House (As well as, some LCD Soundsystem, and a healthy dose of Ground Components.)
March 2007

Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world

'Around The World', words and music by Daft Punk.

This morning, I figured out that I have traveled over 48,409.16433 kilometers (That's 30,080 miles, you metric-phobe!) over the past 4 years of my daily ferry commute. (That's 2,350 hours over the past 4 years — to think about things like this — that potentially, become this time-wasting.)

You can check the math, and see what the hell got me on this track in the first place, here.

•••

Around The World
(Buy: Daft Punk: Homework)

Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
(Buy: LCD Soundsystem: LCD Soundsystem)

Coming In From All Angles (Feat. Macromantics)
(Buy: Ground Components: An Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick)

Go N-eiri An Bothar Leat!

Willie Doherty, Incident, 1993

May the road rise to meet you!
Old Irish saying.
March 17, 2006

"Mr Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liver slices fried with crust crumbs, fried hencods' roes. Most of all he liked grilled mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine."
Ulysses, James (Augustine Aloysius) Joyce

•••

Donegal Express
(Buy: Shane MacGowan & The Popes: The Snake)

Rehab
(Buy: Amy Winehouse: Back To Black)

Cats, Kittens, Pussy

Space Cat and The Kittens
Ruthven Todd
1958

MEOW!

•••

Put Your Cat Clothes On
(Buy: Carl Perkins: The Best of Sun Rockabilly, Vol. 1 [Original Sun Recordings])

Space Booty
(Buy: Valhalla Kittens: Valhalla Kittens)

My Girl's Pussy
(Buy: R. Crumb And His Cheap Suit Serenaders: The R.Crumb Handbook: including the CD, 'R. Crumb's Music Sampler')

Lymie, Am I Ticked!

Welcome to the Thunderdome (Photograph from a local cable program on Ixodes scapularis)

Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis)
Many enter. Few survive.
July 2006

I took Marcel to the vet the other day (for a pulled muscle in his neck which, after a week of doggie-profens and some mellow-down time, is doing much better — thank you for asking) — and after a routine check-up — the doctor asked if Marcel had had his Lyme Disease vaccinations yet.

"Lyme Disease?" I says, "We live out on The Rock, I didn't think we had that problem out there."

"It started to show up last year," she replied.

"Really? How did that happen?" I ask, now a little ooked out by the whole scenario of the upcoming warm weather and outdoor activities.

"The tourists brought them with them," chimes in the doctors assistant.

"Tourists!" I say, through clenched teeth (in a manner that can only be described as the worst imitation of somebody trying to sound like Jerry Seinfeld saying, "Newman!").

"Tourists," she repeats.

Damn you (as I will now refer to them), Lymies!

•••

Hell On Earth
(Buy: Deer Tick: War Elephant (When the album drops, in May.)


(Until then, check out Deer Tick on myspace, and get your pets their shots!)

A Breath Of Fresh Colours

Coombs Neck
The Rock
March 2006

•••

Colours
Breathe
(Buy: The Cinematic Orchestra: Breathe)

The Rock Island Dog

Marcel Duchamp
The Rock
March 5, 2006

What else do I have to say?

•••

We're Going To Be Friends
(Buy: The White Stripes: White Blood Cells)

Burn, Baby, Burn

Photograph © Rich Entel

A boy, his dog, and a big, blazing bonfire.
Town Dump, The Rock
March 2006

Ahhhh, fire. The cold has returned with some kind of purpose. While walking Marcel this morning, my hair froze solid.

So, sitting in my warm kitchen, drinking coffee and doing work from home today — I'm just thinking about the warm weather — and fire.

(Oh, yeah, and the Town Dump? A great place to find everything I don't need to drag home — where I don't need it. Ask G, she'll tell you.)

•••

Ring of Fire
(Buy: Johnny Cash: Love & A .45: Original Soundtrack)

Fire
(Buy: Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection)

Burnin'
(Buy: Jersey Street Allstars: Disco Pogo For Punks In Pumps Vol. 13)

Disco Inferno
(Buy: The Trammps: Saturday Night Fever)

The Heavens Open Up To Cover The Rock With A Beautiful White Blanket Of Snow (And Kick The Arse of Wall Street)

Photograph © Alex Kraus/Bloomberg News

Tao Jones'n
Wall Street
February 28, 2007

An old, miserable guy goes down to the banks of the river. He raises his arms to the heavens. He beseeches the angels. He calls on them to make things better for him. They show up, but their mood is ugly. They tell him he has a scrawny neck, that they're tired of guys like him. When he complains, they knock him down. They beat him with their thick fists. They roll him into the river. They walk off stolidly through the mists, not saying anything, breathing hard. Under their robes their shoulders are big and violent, under the great horns of their wings.

Angels, from A Man Jumps Out of an Airplane by Barry Yourgrau.


(Oh, and Wall Street, if you're reading this — Get a friggin grip!)

•••

Angels
(Buy: Robbie Williams: Life Thru A Lens)

He Needs Me
(Buy: Harry Nilsson & Shelley Duvall: Punch-Drunk Love Original Soundtrack)

Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
(Buy: Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food)

Shambala
(Buy: Three Dog Night: The Complete Hit Singles)

Procrastination Is Like A Monkey In My Soul, With A Head Full Of Ecstasy, Choking On A Fishbone

The monkey in my soul is quite dapper.
Working frantically, in a small room, on the mainland.
February 27, 2007

With a head full of E, and a hat that says, "I'm happy to see you,"... Shut up! This is pure shite! I just found this great picture that needed to work with these songs tonight.

I'm running on extreme deadline fumes — and I have absolutely no time to write this post tonight.

But, I swear, when this project is out, it's all about ME again!

(And you too, dear reader.)

•••

Monkey In Your Soul
(Buy: Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic)

Skankin' to the Beat
(Buy: Fishbone: 'Say Anything' Soundtrack)

Senses Working Overtime
(Buy: XTC: English Settlement)

Spring Is Not Yet Here

Morning Commute
Penobscot Bay
February 20, 2007

But, the last few days have given me some hope.

•••

February Sea
(Buy: George Winston: Winter Into Spring)

No One Else Can Understand But — Justin Timberlake, Justin Timberlake, Justin Timberlake!

Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake (Justin Timberlake, Justin Timberlake!)
Better days (for at least one of them).
Some time in the past.

I have absolutely nothing else to add to this post but, the mighty, mighty songwriting and stylings of James Kochalka Superstar. (As a matter of fact — I could give two shites about the whole 'As the Pop Star Plummets' soap opera — but I had to find something to add to this song. It's solid!)

Go ahead — sing along — I know you want to.

•••

Britney's Silver Can
(Buy: James Kochalka Superstar: Spread Your Evil Wings And Fly)

Vee Dubs

Volkswagen Beetle
February 2007
Rockport, Maine

"We do not see things as they are.
We see things as we are."
— Anais Nin

•••

Work to Do
Fight The Power (Part 1)
(Buy: The Isley Brothers: The Ultimate Isley Brothers)

Count 'Em If You Got 'Em

Tenth Annual Great Backyard Bird Count
February 16-19, 2007

If you can count, then you can count!

Get over to The Great Backyard Bird Count website to see what you can do. Then, Look. Listen. And, if you see a bird, count it. It's that simple, and it'll get you outside on this beautiful weekend. (Abacus welcome!)

•••

I Like Birds
(Buy: Eels: Daisies of the Galaxy)

Flight Test
(Buy: The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots)

And because I just can't get enough of this band these days,

Nature Springs
(Buy: The Good, The Bad & The Queen: The Good, The Bad & The Queen)

Something Good For A Change

Wavy Gravy aka Hugh Romney
(One of my personal favorite, 70-year old, Merry Pranksters.)

'Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace thru Living'
If you know a friend that owns it, borrow it. If you can find it, buy it. There are very few books that will bring a smile to your face like this one.

And while you're at it, check out these other Wavy-related websites.

Camp Winnarainbow: A camp providing the opportunity for children (and adults) to discover new realms of personal achievement, communion with nature, and have BIG FUN at the same time. For over 30 years kids (and adults) have run away to join our circus in beautiful Mendocino County, in Northern California.

SEVA Foundation: For 28 years, Seva has served people around the world who are struggling for health, cultural survival and sustainable communities. Compassion in action.

Nobody For President: If a majority of people voted for "None of the Above" rather than "voting for the lesser of evils", it might force a situation where Voters would have to find someone competent to lead them.

(And if you, like me, feel like raising a stink about something — write to that faceless behemoth corporation that now owns Ben & Jerry's — and tell them to reinstate, what might have been the greatest flavor ice-cream ever made (aside from Vanilla, Chocolate, Chunky Monkey, Chubby Hubby, and Cherry Garcia), Wavy Gravy!)

•••

Herculean
Northern Whale
History Song
(Buy: The Good, The Bad & The Queen: The Good, The Bad & The Queen)

F#@K Icelandic Science!

Icelandic "Science" Vessel
Slaughter — in the name of Science. So far, scientists in Japan and Iceland have discovered — whales eat krill.
February 2007

In defiance of the 20-year-old international ban on whaling, Iceland have returned to commercial hunting, showing a blatant disregard for the inherent cruelty.

This year the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will hold its 58th Annual Meeting on the Island of St.Kitts in the Caribbean.

This year is a particularly crucial year, as pro-whaling nations appear to have gathered enough support within the IWC to overturn some vital and long standing conservation and welfare measures.

Read more about Iceland's (as well as the United States, Russia, Norway, Japan and Greenland's) disregard for the lives of whales — in what they call a "sustainable and legal" hunting "in accordance with the rules of the IWC" — and do something about it.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC)
World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)
The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
Species Survival Commission (SSC)
Campaign Whale
Whalewatch
GreenPeace

And, write to your representatives, now!

•••

One White Whale
Pieces And Parts
Here With You
(Buy: Laurie Anderson: Life On A String)

Tea and Comics

'Tea', a comic by Natalie Dee.

Did you ever find yourself one of those websites that holds your interest for all too long, only to lead you to another, and another and — before you know it, a chunk of your life has mysteriously slipped away — but you're smiling and happy?

Nah! It's never happened to me either. But, if it ever were going to, it could happen over at the comic websites of Drew and Natalie Dee. When you have an extra minute — that will turn in to ten — go check out Natalie Dee, Drew's Toothpaste for Dinner, and my personal favorite (Maybe because of my daily commute, and an affinity for vintage clip art) Married to the Sea. You will not be disappointed.

(But, on the off chance that you are even slightly disappointed – don't come crying back to me with some "Oh, those comics are cute, but I could have done them too" snobby bitch-ass-whiny thing — because, really, I just won't have any part of it.)

So, have a sit, pour some boiling water over the tea, and go read some comics!

(And while you're at it, and because I haven't plugged his gig for a while, go check out Mr. Oblivious — the comic website of Mark Gonyea.)

•••

T.U.S.A
Gimme Water
She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)
(Buy: Masters Of Reality: Sunrise On The Sufferbus)

Eat, Drink, and Be Miserable

Cookie & friend — eating fruit.
Sesame Street

SUPERFOODS FOR THE PESSIMIST. BY CHRIS HICKS (via McSweeney's)

Blueberries
Contain massive doses of a number of antioxidants, including anthocyanins and other polyphenols, and carotenoids. They are also high in fiber, folic acid, and vitamins C and E, none of which can help you now.

Tomatoes
An excellent source of lycopene. This antioxidant chemical neutralizes free radicals in the body, reducing the rate of oxidation in your cells and slowing the aging process. Slowing, not stopping: you will never be 18 again.

Apricots
This über-food has been proven to boost serotonin levels, giving fleeting feelings of contentment, which cast the despair into sharper relief. Use them as a snack or to brighten up a salad.

Walnuts
Walnuts contain massive amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which fight heart disease, and plant sterols, which lower cholesterol, as well as lots of antioxidants. You can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by 15 percent to 50 percent if you eat a few five times a week. You will still rot in the nursing home, but more slowly and at greater cost to your kids.

Apples
All have tons of antioxidants, including flavonoids and other polyphenols, and fiber. Protect against strokes and diseases such as Alzheimer's. Do not protect against drug-related violence, vehicular homicide, or the spirit-crushing grayness of this tawdry existence.

Broccoli
A good source of vitamin E, which is otherwise hard to get into the diet. Especially if the "diet" is microwave dinners for one, seasoned with tears.

Watercress
As well as being stuffed full of antioxidants and fiber, and containing virtually no calories, this wonder salad is probably the only organism on earth more truly impotent than you. Add to salads and sandwiches for peppery flavor and laughable feelings of superiority.

Dark Chocolate
An excellent source of flavenoids, which lower cholesterol and prevent fatty deposits from building up in your arteries. Will keep your broken heart beating—as a second-to-second reminder that you are alone—long after you want it to stop.

Whiskey
Still the only friend you've ever had and the only home you'll ever know. A new you? That's priceless. Drink up.

•••

Beans And Cornbread
(Buy: Louis Jordan: Malcolm X Soundtrack)

Drink My Honey
(Buy: Lord of Acid: Voodoo-U)

Exit Music (For A Film)
(Buy: Radiohead: OK Computer)

(I figured I owed you a few for not writing for awhile.)

Cover Your Ice Holes!

Ice Houses on Lake Chickawaukee
Rockland, Maine
February 1, 2007

Yet another under-appreciated house of style, that is always a pleasure to see this time of year — and well past its time for a design competition from dwell (and, no, this is not a paid endorsement of any kind, I just can't think of another magazine that would give a shite about what these things look like) — is the ever endearing, always reappearing 'Ice House.'

Gentlemen (I assume that's all that dare enter these things), let's get a-fishin'!

•••

Ice Cold Ice
(Buy: The Go Find: Stars On The Wall)